Gas-compressor.



PATENTED OCT. 31, 1905.

F. WITTENMEIER.

GAS COMPRESSOR.

APPLIOATION FILED 00118. 1904.

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' PATBNTED 00T. 31, 19,05'. F. WITTENMBIER.

GAS COMPRESSOR.

APPLIouIoN FILED 00110. 1904.

ENTTE STATES PATENT EETGE.

FREDERICK VVITTENMEIER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO KROE- SCHELL BROS. ICE MACHINE CO., OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPO- RATION OF ILLINOIS.

GAS-COMPRESSOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 31, 1905.

Application filed October 18, 1904. Serial No. 228,925.

T0 all whom it 11i/ay concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK WITTEN- METER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Gas-Compressors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to the stuffing-box construct-ion of a gas-compressor; and it relates particularly to an improvement in the construction of the stuffing-box feature of the gas-compressor forming the subject of Letters Patent of the United States, No. 606,430, dated June 28, 1898, to Julius Sedlacek.

Examination of the aforesaid patent will show that it provides for a plurality of stuffing-box chambers within the housing extension of the compressor-cylinder, each of these chambers being formed in the outer side of a packing-ring about the piston-rod, and that the regulating-Valve which opens to let into the suction-chamber any excess of leakagegas accumulated in a stuffing-box chamber opens at the base of that chamber which is the one nearest the compressor-cylinder.

It is found in the practical embodiment of this invention that by providing both of the stuffing-box chambers in the outer sides of the respective packing-rings the leakage-gas finds too ready access from the inner to the outer one. My object in this connection is so to dispose the two stuffing-box chambers that leakage from one to the other shall be very materially reduced.

It is further found to be advantageous to apply the regulating-valve to the outer stuffing-box chamber, which is the lubricant-supply chamber, rather than to the inner chamber; but where the valve is placed to discharge, as in the patent, through the bottom of the chamber it so far depletes the latter of oil as to leave a large section about the upper portion of the piston-rod uncovered with lubricant and therefore dry. My object in this connection is to prevent the discharge through the regulating-valve from producing this undesirable result.

My aforesaid objects are accomplished by the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a broken longitudinal vertical section of the stuffing-box of a gas-compressor provided with my improvements, the section being taken at the line 1 on Fig. 2 and viewed in the direction of the arrow; and Fig. 2 a section taken at the line 2 on Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

, A denotes the compressor cylinder, of which only the rear portion is shown in Fig. l, because my improvements relate solely to the stuiiing-box B, formed in the housing extension A of the cylinder to cooperate with the piston-rod C, which extends through it. About the piston-rod in the housing A' are provided suitable metal packing-rings c, b, and c, equipped, respectively, with oupleathers a', b, b2, and c. In the inner surface of the ring bis formed about the pistonrod a chamber D, and in the outer surface of the ring c is formed a circumferential charnber E, having a series of radial outlets cc opening to the piston-rod. Into this chamber E leads transversely through the housing-wall from its upper side a duct d, terminating in a seat c' for a valve e, entering for its confinement into a recessfin the inner end of a plug g, which screws into an opening in the side of the housing Al and is provided with a longitudinal central passage ci, having branch ducts Z2 Z2 leading from its inner end. On the inner end of the plug g is a stud g', fitting within a socket g2 in the upper 'side of the valve and provided with a semicylindrical circumferential groove It to admit pins /t' t, passing transversely through the valve to embrace the stud g between them. By this construction (which, however, is not novel) when the valve is in frictional contact with its seat the plug g may be screwed against the valve to tighten it on or initially loosen it from its seat without turning the valve, and thus grinding it against its seat, as the frictional contact therewith will hold it against rotation, since the stud rotates freely in the valvesocket. From the duct 0l there leads in the housing-wall a laterally-extending branch duct t', terminating in a valve-chamber 7c, from which a duct l leads to thesuction side of the compressor. Interposed in this chamber is the valve m, presenting its inner surface of smaller area to the chamber E and its outer surface of larger area to the suctionduct Z, whereby when the pressure in the chamber E equals that of the pressure from the suction side the Valve opens to introduce IOS into the suction-duct Z any excess of pressure above that to benormally retained in the chamber.

AS Will be seen, by providing the two chambers D and E, respectively, on the inner and outer sides of the packing-rings containing them the escape of gas which enters the chamber D from the compressor is much more effectively prevented than Where, as heretofore, the two chambers are in the outer surfaces of the rings, and the packing-leathers are thereby 'rendered more efiicacious. It

will also be seen that when pressure in the chamber E opens the valve m to discharge the over-pressure of gas in that chamber into the suction-duct Z, (thereby to prevent such an accumulation of pressure as will tend to cause gas-leakage past the packing-cup c',) the gas in discharging Will carry along with it, as desired for lubricating purposes, some oil from the chamber, but not enough to deplete it, as heretofore, below the top surface of the piston-rod.

The supply of lubricant to the chamber E is produced in the usual manner by the action of a suitable pump, (not shoWn,) and the removable plug g affords means for inspecting the condition of the supply of lubricant in the oil-chamber. g

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is*

1. ln the stuffing-box of a gas-compressor, they combination With the piston-rod, of packing-rings equipped with i'iexible packing material, a chamber formed in the inner surface of one of said 'rings and extending into the body thereof and a chamber formed in the about the piston-rod, a duct leading out ofsaid chamber from above the plane of the piston-rod and having a lateral branch leading' to the suction side of the compressor, and a regulating-valve in said branch controlling the discharge from said chamber and adapted to be opened by pressure in the latter, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. In combination, a gas-compressor stuffing-box having a plurality of packing-rings eq uipped with flexible packingmaterial about the piston-rod, a chamber formed in the inner surface of one of said rings and a chamber formed in the outer surface of the other ring, said chambers opening to the piston-rod, a duct leading out of the outermost of said chambers from above the plane of the pistonrod to the suction side of the compressor, and a regulating-valve controlling the discharge through said duct from said last-named chamber and adapted to be opened by pressure in the latter, substantially as described.

6. In combination, a gas-compressor stuffing-box having a plurality of packing-rings equipped With cup-leathers about the pistonrod, a chamber formed in the outer surface of the outermost ring and a chamber formed in the inner surface of the next adjacent ring, said chambers opening' to the piston-rod, a duct leading out of said outermost chamber from above the plane of the piston-rod to the suction side of the compressor, and a regulatingvalve controlling the discharge through said duct from said last-named chamber and adapted to be opened by pressure in the latter, substantially as described.

FREDERICK WITTENMEIER. 

